I think what's best about moonie is her total and undying love for words and books and writers. Even when she's slogging through the manuscript-from-hell or dealing with the author-who-is-a-genuius-in-her-own-mind, moonie looks past all the grit and grime to the ultimate prize...books worthy of publishing and writers the world Needs To Read.

To Moonie re: the pencils -- yes, they are custom, and will in fact be personalized as described unless Lillian Vernon Kids catalog refuses to print the word "ass" on kids' pencils. (Will find out in 2 weeks!)

For me, it was in this post, from August: "I do think that if possible you shouldn't work on the next book in your series."

I wasn't the one who'd asked her the question, but those words leapt out of the screen and rapped me with their knuckles right on the -- what's it called? the little space between the eyebrows? -- rapped me right there, anyway. As if to say, "Hey, dummy, this is for YOU too."

Instant liberation for me. And like all her advice, it seems so obvious in retrospect that you wonder why she had to say it aloud (so to speak) at all.

Thanks so much for your site, Moonie, and thanks to the Secret Squirrels (heh) who pulled this little surprise out of the hat.

Moonie gives such great advice all the time, but the posts that move me the most are the ones that remind me of my humanity, that remind me of the bigger picture. So the raffle for her friend with lymphoma, while not 'advice', certainly made me take stock of what is important - and made me reprioritize aspects of my life.

In regard to writing, it was this recent post that gave me the courage to have faith in my story and the energy to start querying again: http://editorialass.blogspot.com/2008/10/story-of-underdog.html

Oh Moonrat! I can't pick just one - all the ones cited in the other comments, your contest to raise money for your friend, your advice for finding an agent, and everything else. You are just so wonderful with all the time you put into your blog and all the advice and good will you share with us. I'm glad I found your blog through the lymphoma-money raising contest. And thanks for all of it!

Thanks to everyone for entering. THE WINNER IS ELLO! (See wonderful specific bit of Moonie wisdom offering in comment above.)

Ello and Moonie -- can you send me your physical mailing addresses to andromeda (at) romanolax.com. The pencils will take a few weeks but I look forward to sending them to you as soon as they are ready!

Hi Moonrat!I lurk on your blog occasionally, and as a non-published-non-writer, I just enjoy what I read. I've found that writers usually have marvelous blogs, what with their love of words and all that.But should I write, query, get accepted, be edited, and then publish someday, you've shown me that editors are people--people who love books. And they love good books most, so that's the point of their jobs.